May 1, 2019 - Weather statistics April 2019 are prepared and submitted by Ann Forbes, U.S. Weather Service Observer.

Highest Temp was 88 degrees on 4-10-2019 and 4-11-2019
Highest Temp on Record was 94 degrees on 4-10-1963, 4-21-1987* and 4-19-2011
Lowest Temp was 30 degrees on 4-02-2019
Lowest Temp on Record was 28 degrees on 4-03-1971 and 4-01-1987*

Rainfall Recorded was 6.19 inches
Average Monthly Rainfall is 4.16 inches
Above Average by 2.03 inches
Highest Recorded for this Month was 14.10 inches in 1991
Lowest Recorded for this Month was 0.57 in 1987*

*1987 was an "eventful" year!!!

2 days 32 degrees or below
Last frost 4-02-2019
Last freeze 4-02-2019
Tornado in Southern part of Shelby County the evening of 4-24-2019
Rainfall through April is 19.13 inches

April showers bring May flowers or so they say!!! I think the flowers have been especially beautiful this year and right now there are roses of all colors blooming in Center.

May 1, 2019 - Ragtown Recreation Area on the Sabine National Forest is temporarily closed due to tornado damage sustained from last Thursday’s storm.

According to Angelina and Sabine District Ranger Kimpton Cooper, the recreation area sustained substantial damage to the buildings and other infrastructure. It will remain closed to public access until proper assessments and repairs can be completed and the facility is deemed safe to reopen.

April 30, 2019 - On April 27, 2019, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputy Josh Tipton was on routine patrol in the Timpson area when he observed a black BMW sedan turn South onto U.S. Hwy 59. Deputy Tipton noticed the vehicle to have a temporary paper license tag on the rear and the expiration date was torn off.

Deputy Tipton initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver as Kara Michelle Chambliss, 26, of Shelbyville. Upon contact with Chambliss, Deputy Tipton noticed her to be very nervous. Chambliss stated to Deputy Tipton she was trying to get to Houston. Deputy Tipton asked Chambliss if there was anything illegal in the vehicle and she replied, “Yes.”

April 29, 2019 - TxDOT cleared dirt from SH 7 west of Center where a truck lost its load due to a tire blowout at around 2:30pm near CR 1145. Both eastbound lanes of traffic were blocked from the spill until 3:12pm.

The Center Fire Department diverted traffic around the scene while TxDOT crews worked quickly. Those traveling should use caution and slow down as they drive this route.

April 26, 2019 - The Center Fire Department was dispatched to a truck fire on Loop 500 at 4:45pm Friday, April 26, 2019.

When the firemen arrived at a private driveway off Loop 500, the truck was engulfed in flames and could not be salvaged. As soon as a tanker truck arrived the firemen sprayed water to extinguish the blaze.

According to the Center Fire Department, it appeared the Dodge pickup truck belonging to Jerry Garrett may have become stuck and during that time the truck somehow caught on fire in the vicinity of the front driver tire.

Update: As of 4:30pm Friday, April 26th, Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative has restored power to all Cooperative Members who’s home is safe to receive power. If you are a Cooperative Member and are without power, please report your outage by calling 1 (800) 392-5986 as we are not aware that you are out

Update: As of 1:20pm Friday, April 26th, as Deep East Texas Electric Co-op crews make repairs, please understand that those with power may experience random short outages as crews work to restore others safely. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Update: As of 9:30 AM, April 26, 2019, Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative is reporting less than 200 members without power in San Augustine County. These members are in areas impacted by downed poles and lines due to tornado activity. Crews are working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible.

Update: As of 10:15 PM, power to the San Augustine Substation has been restored. Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative crews are now working to repair downed poles and lines serving the residential areas heavily impacted.

April 25, 2019 - As of 4:30 PM, we have 1,246 members remaining without power within San Augustine.

Crews are diligently working to restore the damage to the San Augustine substation. This morning’s goal was to have power restored to the substation by this evening. This task has proved to be more extensive than expected and the substation outage may continue into the night.

The San Augustine substation serves a portion of the City of San Augustine system and members along portions of Hwy 21 West, 147 South and North, FM 1751 and FM 2213.

After power is restored to the substation, crews will focus on rebuilding damaged lines and poles.

An EF-2 tornado struck the San Augustine area Wednesday night, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service Shreveport office. Though the survey is in the early stages, NWS surveyors believe the storm that struck the San Augustine area had winds of 111 to 135 mph. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped, power poles broken, lines downed and homes damaged.

Above all, DETEC encourages everyone to keep safety a priority. Should you encounter a downed line, consider it live and dangerous.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time.

April 25, 2019 - As of 8 AM, we have approximately 1,600 outages. Over 1,200 are within San Augustine County. The others are primarily in the Sabine County area around Rebel Ridge.

Around 11:20 PM a tornado hit the San Augustine area causing massive damage. For the Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative system – the San Augustine substation received damage and we are recording many poles and lines down. This substation serves the City of San Augustine and members along portions of Hwy 21 West, 147 South and North, FM 1751 and FM 2213. Repairs to the substation has began and we hope to have it back up this evening. Areas with more extensive damage will take more time as crews must make repairs to the downed lines and poles.

Above all, DETEC encourages everyone to keep safety a priority. Should you encounter a downed line, consider it live and dangerous.

April 26, 2019 - The jury that has been summoned for Monday, April 29, 2019 for the 123rd District Court Honorable Leann Kay Rafferty presiding has been cancelled. All cases have been passed or settled.

Anyone receiving a summons for that day is released from jury service until they receive a future summons.

April 26, 2019 - As repair work is ongoing and changing quickly, officials are again closing SH 21 from US 96 to SH 147 through downtown again this morning in order to set new power poles. No length of time for this closure has been set. Motorists are urged to choose alternate routes or detour to SH 147.

April 25, 2019 - FM 699 was the scene of a major single-vehicle crash Saturday, April 20, 2019, which resulted in injury to a passenger and arrest of the driver.

The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the scene to divert traffic and assist anyone involved in the crash near County Road 3695.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Taylor Buster, at 9:45pm a white 2005 Chevrolet C1500 driven by Wayland Carl Whiteside, 35, of Center was eastbound on FM 699 when Whiteside stated he swerved to miss a deer.

Whiteside traveled at an unsafe speed as the truck rounded the curve and failed to drive in a single lane due to suspected intoxication. The truck left the roadway to the right in a side skid striking a fence and a tree before coming to rest in a field.